Poor Instructions
by Mistress Mills
Summary: Hook is foolish, and tries to control the woman who now dominates him in every part of his life, but it doesn't work out exactly how he'd like it to.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own OUAT**

The sound of glass bottles clinking together was soft, but it echoed against the walls of Regina Mills's vault. Every little noise sent prickling shudders down Killian's spine. He was not meant to be here, and if he was discovered by either mother or daughter of the Mills family, he was certain to die. That could not happen. Not until he got what he was after.

Cora was a surprisingly loose-lipped woman once she decided a person was not a threat to her. Perhaps because any fool who so much as thought to defy her ended up dead, the secrets they knew taken to their graves. The only reason he was not dead yet was because of the distractions he gave her. He had a great skill at keeping even the most suspicious woman's worries at bay when he was with them. Even so, it would not be enough to save him if she were to discover his betrayal. He knew the secret to her downfall, and he intended to implement it at just the right time. As she had delivered him in Storybrooke, her use to him had diminished, and she would soon see that he too disposed of those who were useless.

He found it. A small vial with dark brown liquid in it. It had a label, written in Cora's familiar, flowing script: To control a body. It was exactly what he needed. He needed Cora Mills's power, there was no doubting that. But so long as he controlled her, he could have everything he ever wanted risk-free. This would work. The instructions were simple; both persons must drink it. He was uncertain as to how the potion would know that it was he, and not she, who was meant to be in control, but he had faith. Cora had made the potion, after all, and she never made anything improperly. Not if she intended on using it.

* * *

"Cora?" He knelt before her in just such a way that, had it not been for the slight rolling of his eyes, would have sent a look of pure adoration and respect. As it was, however, he looked, to any bystander, exactly as he was: a slave who was unhappy with his position. The sparkle in his eyes showed the tiniest spark of mischief that would alert the careful observer of a secret plan that the man had. A dangerous one that he was anticipating endlessly. On any normal occasion, Cora would be this observer, and he the next corpse found in a conveniently ambiguous location.

Luckily for him, Cora was distracted, as she often was when around both him and her daughter. She didn't like when her two worlds(family and bedroom) collided, though by adding Regina into their plan to eliminate Rumplestiltskin, she had ensured the two joining; lines that had once been so separate blurring beyond repair. With the safety net of Cora's concentration being so focused upon her shielding of her daughter, Hook had to take this opportunity. Times of weakness were very rare for her, and he was determined to take advantage of this one whilst it lasted.

"Yes, Hook?" She eyed her daughter subtly, keeping her tone even. He grinned, eyes twinkling. She wouldn't notice anything, especially not if he were to let some of his carefully-measured restraint slip. Both women were beautiful; it would not be a hard thing to do, allowing some of his lust to slip out into their view. On the other hand, there were more subtle ways to do this. If only he responded, it could be explained away. She needed to have the reaction here…

If she figured out his plan, it would hurt, but it would get the job done. He could endure a moment's pain for the sakes of her minute's distraction. Her moment of weakness. He did not need much, but a slight slip would instantly give her daughter a seed of concern, curiosity, and worry. This would be enough to keep her distracted as long as necessary. If she believed his only indiscretion to be his lust, she would not expect worse from him. Her punishment would no doubt be most painfully issued that night, but he intended to have complete control over her by that time.

"Shall I make you and your _lovely_ daughter something to drink?" He winked at Regina, smirking at the tiniest look of indignation that crossed both women's faces. Cora's had a blatant look of jealousy that, though she quickly removed it, was hardly something that could be ignored. Regina noticed it clearly, a look of confusion crossing her features. Though Cora's look had returned to its neutral position, there was a fire in her eyes that sent chills down his spine. This punishment would not be as swift as he wished for it to be.

"Tea." She spoke the words through gritted teeth before turning to her daughter. "Regina?" Regina murmured a short agreement to the tea, still trying to figure out what was happening with her mother and the hook-handed tool that knelt before them. "Why don't you go get that for us, Hook?" There was a hidden malice in the phrase, but she would save him the shame of public punishment, instead waiting for a time when they were away from Regina. Or perhaps just when he was away from her, as, the instant he left the room, he felt her punishment begin.

He dropped to his knees as soon as the door had closed behind him, clenching his jaw shut so as not to disturb the pair. The punishment got worse if he screamed. She had the ability to have her magic mimic the effects of most anything. In this case, Cora had a whip setting to work on his back and some sort of blade slicing his chest. He knew, however, that this was only the minor portion of his punishment. It would be worse later. She saved the worst for when she could personally hurt him. Though he was not completely certain, he thought that she got a lot of pleasure from tormenting him; she seemed at her happiest when she was spilling his blood. Nonetheless, it would be worse if he did not do as she asked. Pulling himself off of the ground, he dragged himself down to the kitchen to fix her tea, trying not to wince at the repeated blows he received.

* * *

He pulled down two cups from the cupboard, pouring hot tea into them carefully. The first cup he filled to the top with the steaming hot tea. The other was only filled half-way, and he made sure to set it far from the other. Pulling a small vial from his pocket, he took a swig, drinking half of it before pouring the rest into the half-full tea cup. He stirred it in, grateful that the potion's coloring was so similar to that of the tea. Balancing the delicate cups in his one hand, a single saucer separating the two cups, he stepped carefully back up the stairs to the room where Cora and her daughter would be speaking.

Tracing his steps from the way down, he tried not to get sick at the sight of his blood in trails across the floor. She would no-doubt make him clean it later. The blows seemed to be stopping, and he was grateful that he wore dark clothing that would not show the blood that undoubtedly stained his shirt. He would just have to check the damage later on. Banging his hook against the door, he pushed it open with his foot. The women were silent as he entered. He passed each woman their respective drinks, making certain that the bottom one (the one he had put the potion in) was given to Cora.

"Will that be all, your Majesties?" Cora nodded, dismissing him.

"Yes. Why don't you get yourself cleaned up now?" He smirked at the cruel irony. He would have to look at his own wounds as Cora reached her own end. Sweeping into a deep bow, he left the room, his face widening into a grin as he caught her sipping her drink. The deed was done.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own OUAT**

* * *

It didn't work. It had been hours, and nothing had changed, but for that which he dreaded. Regina went to bed, bringing her mother back to her room, the largest in the house barring from the master. No doubt she would have given up her own room had Cora asked for it, but she did not intend on being the head of this household, rather the brains of it. Cora liked power, and she liked control. It was nothing new.

Hook's own room was directly across the hall from Cora's, and was more often than not the one that she resided in at night. Regina knew her mother had no restless nights, and expected her bed to be as perfect as it had been when it had been set before Cora entered it. Hook, however, she knew little about. She would not question if his bed was quite messy in the morning. As expected, it didn't take long for Cora to leave her room and enter his, two small blades in her hands.

"My dearest pet, that was a very foolish thing for you to do. I'm afraid you may need to be put down if such an instance happens again. I'm here to make certain that does not happen." He nodded, moving back to the bed where he was certain she would want him. Surprisingly, though, he felt himself being lifted into the air, body frozen in place. Perhaps tonight he would learn something new? She laughed at his hopeful face, shaking her head. "I will not reward you for jeopardizing my relationship with my daughter and our only chance to kill Rumplestiltskin."

That said, she set to work at destroying his body. Her hands flew through the air, fast enough that they blurred in front of his eyes as they tore through his shirt and chest, slicing in long streaks. The blur was now red, and his blood dripped onto the floor, whether from her knives or from his own body, he wasn't sure. The sight of it made him nauseous, but he tried his hardest to keep it back. He could feel himself growing dizzier, but his body would not move. Even if he were to fall unconscious, his body would stay upright, fully exposed for her to continue in the art of destroying him.

It was strange, but finally the cuts seemed to develop a pattern before his eyes, though not one that made any sense. They just seemed far more purposeful than simply for the intention of harming him. Soon enough, his shirt fell off, barring from the tatters that clung desperately to his blood-stained skin. Looking at the warzone that had been made of his chest, he felt his stomach turn, his lunch emptying on the floor beside Cora. Vanishing it with a flick of her wrist, she glared at him.

"Oh, you'll pay for that as well." She pointed at him, a bolt of electricity shooting out of her finger into his chest. His heart went off-beat. The pain was not as worrying as the feeling of his heart not working just right. He cleared his throat, his mouth completely dry. It took a few attempts to make a sound.

"Cora, love." It came out as a groan, his voice not quite right. At the word love, she summoned a whip and turned it on his face. He winced, trying to continue his speech despite the pain radiating from his sliced cheek. "You're going to kill me."

It was all that he could force out. Gone were the elaborate word choices and tones he was so famous for. Cora often made him speechless, but this was a new method entirely. Still, it seemed to be enough. She dropped her hands, the whip disappearing instantly. Stepping closer to him, eyes narrowed, she began to laugh. How many times before had this same laugh intrigued him, pleased him, when she had turned it on others? It was ruthless, merciless, and completely her. And now it had been turned on him. She struck him, the force of her palm on his wounded cheek causing him to cry out.

"Perhaps I want you dead." She wiped her bloodied palm on one of his shirts. Were it another time and place, he might groan. She seemed determined to ruin each and every one of his shirts. At least half of his wardrobe had either been destroyed by her or stained. More often than not, she tore them off of his body at nights. Perhaps she did not understand that it could just as easily be taken off as torn off. Regardless, he knew not how to sew, and knew that she would never be so kind to him as to provide him with new shirts or repair his old ones. It would be a simple task for her, but he knew she would never do it.

"What would-"He cleared his throat again, this time disturbed by the sensation of something slick yet sticky clinging to his throat. Blood. Shaking it off, he continued. "What would your daughter think?"

That stopped her. Cora froze, contemplating his words. It was true that Regina would be confused by the loss of Hook, but she had no real attachment to the man. He would simply be seen as yet another alliance Cora disposed of once his use was gone.

"She does not care for you. I see no reason why she would think anything." He chuckled. For once, she had not spotted her own weakness. Poor woman. So determined to eliminate one weakness, she created another. For a moment, he almost felt pity for her, but she had done far worse to him and oh so many others. He needed her to help him kill Rumplestiltskin, but she did not need him. Or at least, so she thought.

But by segregating himself and her daughter for so long, he had become a delicate subject. Of course Regina would be curious as to why they were not permitted to speak; everything to do with him and Cora would therefor become a topic of intrigue.

"Think of why you're hurting me. Regina is no fool, she'll figure it out. You don't want her to know you killed me out of jealousy, do you?" He had laid down his ace. And it was clear by the look of utter shock on her face that it had worked. She had been fooled, as so many others had, into believing that he was a simple flirt. He got far enough that way, true, but he was no fool besides. It took some thought to get so close to killing Rumplestiltskin as he was, and yet it was often regarded as the work of others whom he had jumped on board with. It was ironic that the mistress of manipulation did not know that she was being used until it was too late. She had left her queen unguarded, and oh how easily he put her into checkmate. Cora was now his to own. He did not need the potion after all. His own intellect was enough.

With a look of utter shame, she flicked her wrists, and he found his body unbound and thrown against the bed. Everything hurt, and laying down was probably not the best position for him to be in if he did have internal bleeding. After getting hit by a car, he knew what that felt like, and was still trying to decide which was worse: the abuse of the metal carriage or that of his lover. Groaning, he pushed himself into a seated position, a self-satisfied grin trying to mask his pain.

"Well, my girl. You'd best heal me." She scoffed for a moment before looking down. It was no longer possible for her to deny it to herself. He had beaten her. She, who had been the one person in any land to escape a deal from Rumplestiltskin and crush him in the process, had been defeated by a simple pirate. A white glow surrounded his body, and he could feel his wounds closing. Once they were all healed, she turned to leave. "Not so fast."

If looks could kill, Hook would be in danger, but as it was, looks were all she could give. She could easily have killed him before, but not she knew the repercussions of such an action. She could not lose her daughter's adoration, and this would surely do the trick. Regina would be disgusted by the thought of her mother sleeping with their little servant. But he planned to amplify his position, at least in public.

"What do you want, Hook?" He thought for only a moment before replying, a devious grin on his face.

"You will sleep in here." Seeing the emotions clear on her face was wonderful. Her face went from shock to disgust to resignation in a matter of seconds. He wanted that to continue. There was a satisfaction in getting simple reactions from her, but the fact that she had clearly grown submissive was an interesting prospect. Naturally, she would attempt to destroy him soon, but he would enjoy this while he could. Stripping her elegant gown off, she slipped under the sheets. He tutted. "Not there."

"Then where would you like me?" The exasperation in her tone was music to his ears. He was about to do something incredibly stupid and possibly suicidal. This would be interesting to see through.

"You will sleep at the foot of the bed. As my little servant ought." He smirked, thoughts of how he could control her racing through his mind. He would be her master. His mistress, his slave. It was a quite satisfying thought. The fury was obvious in her fiery eyes, and he was frightened for a moment. This was clearly the most foolish thing he had ever done. This was not switching sides. This was taking control. He kind of liked it.

"Fine." He voice had no tone, which angered him. She was not going to be allowed to be this insolent to him for long. For now, however, he had won. It would be enough for him tonight. He did not have many victories, most especially with a Mills woman. This was a pinnacle moment of his life. Stripping himself down the rest of the way (his shirt still in tatters on the floor), he slipped into the bed, nodding his head towards Cora's new position. A small ball of fire hit the wall, an expression of her anger. She seemed shocked that it had come out.

"You'll be fixing that in the morning." His tone was clearly gloating as he laid down to sleep with his queen at his feet. He could grow used to this.


	3. Chapter 3

**I don't own OUAT**

* * *

Hook woke up in a horrible position, curled up into the fetal position with hard wood against his back. Arching his back, he let out a groan. The sound was distorted, but that could just have been the fact that he had just risen. As he rolled off of the bed, a dark curtain of hair fell across his face. Lifting his hook to remove it, he noticed something.

Fingers. Forcing a small exclamation of glee to stay inside, he wiggled them. He was not used to fingers on his left hand. But then, he wasn't used to having a left hand at all, much less one with such delicate, slender fingers. The potion... had worked then. It simply had not worked in the way he expected it to.

Slipping out the door, he tip toed across the hall to Cora's bedroom. Gazing into the full length mirror, he simply admired. This was not a form he could easily adjust to, but he would certainly learn to. Raising the newfound fingers to touch Cora's soft hair, he was pleased. She would be wearing her hair down from now on. He liked it better that way.

After a brief peek into the wardrobe, he slipped into a comfortable robe rather than one of the many gowns that Cora had on display. He preferred the feeling of pants. It was only a short walk from Cora's room to the master bedroom, so he walked it quickly. Knocking on Regina's door, he contemplated what he was going to say. Soon enough, it was time to speak. Regina emerged in the doorway, hiding a short nightgown behind the door, hair disheveled and tangled. Clearly he had woken her.

"Mother." Regina seemed briefly surprised before swinging open the door to allow Cora entrance. Good. At least for now she didn't know any different. Hook sat down on the edge of the bed, allowing his eyes to rove over Regina's mostly-bare figure briefly. At the questioning look Regina sent his way, he let out a soft sound of disdain.

"Regina, you look a mess." He wanted to laugh at the bright flush that covered the woman's cheeks at the comment. Regina went to the mirror quickly, running her fingers through her hair briefly.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I wasn't expecting you. What is it that you wanted?" It was then that Regina looked closer at her mother, eyes furrowing briefly at the sight. She had never seen her mother so... relaxed. From her eyes, her mother was lounging across her bed in a fluffy pink bathrobe, playing with her fingers. It took a moment for Hook to realize that he had been spoken to.

"Oh! I was... intending on going into town to do some business. I thought it would be, er, prudent, to dress in clothing more appropriate to this world." Regina nodded slowly.

"Yes, that makes sense, I suppose. With Mr. Gold and Ms. Swan away, few would recognize you simply by your looks. But where are you going at..." She walked over to her bed stand where there was a box with glowing numbers printed on it. "3:42 in the morning?"

"None of your concern, Reg- my love. It is for the good of our plo- family, I assure you." Clearly Regina did not believe him, but she daren't question her mother for so simple a thing. If she wanted to go who-knows-where at such an ungodly hour, that was her business.

"Alright." Regina dug into her own closet, pulling a pair of slim black pants and a deep purple shirt. Along with that, she tossed her two small strips of black fabric. One had two triangular pieces and a band across the back. He had no idea how to use it, and felt sure that Cora wouldn't either. He had certainly never seen such a thing on her when taking her clothing off. He would have noticed the strange contraption before.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" He waved the little piece of fabric and lace. To his utter surprise, Regina pulled another out, placing the triangles over her ample breasts and clamping some kind of clip in the back. Raising an eyebrow, he gazed over at her chest. "So it is some form of modern corset?" At Regina's nod, he grinned. "It must be easier to get off than a corset. So many laces... that I've had to tie these past 28 years on my own."

"Mother, may I go back to sleep, or is there something else you need?" With a brief shake of his head- well, of Cora's head-, he left the room, slipping back into Cora's and dropping the robe to the floor. Strapping the strange corset over Cora's chest, he decided that it looked better on Cora than on her daughter. He had gotten a good look at the younger woman, and found that she simply did not have the appeal her mother did.

It did not take long to pull the rest of the clothing on, but it did take a few minutes to understand the strange contraption that held the pants up. Eventually he caught on, however. Looking into the mirror, he took a good long look at his new body. This was not what he intended with the potion, but it worked just as well.

With a sparkle in his eye, he raised his fist, thinking of Rumplestiltskin. Fire enveloped his fist, a warm feeling spreading across it. It was not entirely unpleasant, however, simply unexpected. What was unpleasant was what the gentle wet feeling between his legs meant. Shaking away the thought, he released it into the waste bin that sat beside the door. The flames began to lick at the wall, and he began to worry about the house catching fire. The fire instantly went out at his nervous thought. It seemed magic was just as easy as Cora and her daughter made it look.

He decided to venture out into the town as he had told Regina he would. It would allow him a decent chance to explore the town without a Mills woman looking over his shoulder. It was a pleasant thought. However, his musings were interrupted by a glaring man standing in his doorway, left arm raised in front of him.

"Do I really look like that?" A quick once over made him chuckle. "I understand the fascination the ladies have now." Turning back to the mirror, he began to run a golden brush through Cora's long hair. It was still slightly tangled from the night's sleep. He preferred it this way, but it would be obvious that he was not who he claimed to be if Cora looked unkempt. He froze at the feeling of cool metal at his throat. He recognized it, of course.

"Cora, love. Put that down." Watching her in the mirror, he watched Cora's body tremble. It was hard to describe the feeling, of knowing that you were about to be killed by what appeared to be yourself.

"I don't think so." The tone of voice was icier than he had ever expected to come from his own mouth. "Now what did you do?"


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own OUAT**

The bed was warm, covers neatly curled around her body. Cora let out a contented little sigh. The previous night had clearly just been a dream. It was not often that her exhaustion prohibited her from punishing someone, but it did happen on occasion. She was a very busy woman, and sometimes her body could not keep up with her ambition. And though she did her best, magic could not fix all of the problems resulting from humanity.

Lifting her hands to rub her eyes, a sharp shock tore through her as her left cheek was sliced. Gazing in astonishment, she saw a hook where her hand should have been. This was not right, not happening. It must simply be another dream. Placing her right hand to her chest, her nose wrinkled in disgust, not completely surprised, but thoroughly disturbed by what she found. Little pulses beat in her chest. A heart. This disgusting body had a heart, and it would influence her. The worst part was, without her magic, she could do nothing about the distracting organ. But she could do something about the man who had caused it. The man foolish enough to send her into a body which had a weapon for a limb.

She walked across the hall, opening his door as quietly as she possibly could in the bulky body. Standing in front of her was herself, gazing at her form in the mirror. She was clothed in the strange clothing of this world that Regina had shown her. It looked… rather good on her, actually. But she was quite annoyed by her hair flowing down across her chest. A woman worth anything was meant to have long hair, but it must be pulled back at all times. She had been disappointed in Regina for cutting her hair, but this was just unacceptable. She rose her left arm in front of her, the hook pointed at what used to be her body.

"Do I really look like that?" Her own voice startled her as it addressed her, a subtle smirk covering her face. It was disturbing, actually. Hook, in her body, chuckled. "I understand the fascination the ladies have now." Cora let out a disgruntled little grunt of dissatisfaction as Hook returned to admire her body in the mirror, running a brush through her hair. At least she wouldn't look like a peasant… Still, she had to figure out what he'd done in order to fix it. And as he seemed to be enjoying himself, it was clear that it would take force to do this. She quietly stepped up behind him, placing his hook against her throat, hoping he didn't make her damage her own body.

"Cora, love." She watched with satisfaction as he trembled. Perhaps it was sick to take pleasure in watching your own body quiver in fear. But she knew that her mind would never be so weak as to do such a thing, so it was hardly as though she were torturing herself. "Put that down."

"I don't think so." Her eyes narrowed, and the voice that emerged from Hook's body was so eerily Cora's in its cold tone that she thought for a moment that she had somehow been returned to her own body. Alas, that was too much to hope for. "Now." she ran a finger across the cheek of the one she threatened. It was too difficult to think of it as her own body. It was just some random woman. That was better. "What did you do?"

* * *

Cora was confused. How was it that this buffoon had managed to switch their bodies, even with her potion? Furthermore, why would he? He had won; he had gotten her exactly where he wanted her last night. What was the point in doing such a foolish thing now? She always knew that he was an idiot, but she had not expected his idiocy in such a strong degree! Even so, it had happened, and the fact that her mind was now in his disgusting body could not be ignored. But one thing was certain. She was not going to wear his pirate clothing, and she was certainly not going to wear eyeliner! It was disgusting, smearing charcoal over the eyes in such a way. Though, it did make his eyes pop in a way that just made her- no.

He was a pirate who had treated her like a servant in her own home- well, technically Regina's, but it might as well have been hers- and then stole her body. She should never have let him get that close to her, never should have let him in her bed. But it was too late for regrets. She had been foolish, yes, but that was over with now. He would never touch her- or anything if she had her way- again. And it would kill him- she hoped.


End file.
